If you haven’t heard of Drop, you’re not alone. But let me tell you right now that this app is a must download for anyone who likes loyalty rewards and free stuff. It was introduced to the Canadian marketplace in 2016 and has been rolling into select U.S. markets this year. Drop now has 150,000+ active users.
The app is pretty straightforward. Spend as you normally would, collect points, then use those points to claim gift cards from partner retailers. I know, it doesn’t sound like anything special. But as you’ll read below in my Drop app review, Drop has some unique features which make it stand out from other reward apps.
How the Drop app works
Once you download the app. You’ll be prompted to choose five of your favourite brands such as Starbucks, McDonald’s, Amazon, Ritual, Aritzia, Cineplex, LCBO, Wal-Mart, Uber, and much more. You’ll also get weekly offers based on your shopping habits from various merchants where you can earn even more points.
You’ll need to link your debit and credit cards to the app to start earning rewards. Some people are hesitant to link their cards, but Drop uses 256-bit bank-level encryption so all your data is protected. Admittedly, this is the biggest concern for many people and I understand why you wouldn’t want to link your credit and debit cards to an app.
Now that you’ve got your cards connected, you’ll start earning points automatically when spending on your selected brands. There’s no need to take out your cell phone or type in a loyalty number; your points are earned automatically.
Once you’ve earned enough points to redeem a gift card, you’ll be sent an e-mail. I should note that when it comes to redeeming your gift cards, you’re not limited to the five brands you chose. There are many additional options available to you.
Get double the rewards with Drop
Right now you might be thinking that this Drop app review is nothing special, but think about how the app works for a second. After the initial setup, everything is automatic, so there’s no extra work required on your end. If you’ve chosen brands where you spend a lot of money anyway, you can expect to earn a reward about once a month.
Although Drop sort of serves as a loyalty program for brands who currently don’t have one in place, it also acts as double rewards for merchants that do have one. For example, Cineplex has SCENE as their loyalty program. If you use your connected credit card, you’ll also earn Drop points at Cineplex. It’s not a true “double” points feature, but you are earning points in two different ways on the same spend.
In addition, you still earn points or cash-back through your regular credit card rewards, so in other words, you could potentially earn rewards three different ways through a single purchase. (1) The merchant’s regular loyalty program. (2) Your credit card’s rewards program. (3) Drop rewards points.
Now, if you don’t like to use credit cards, no problem. Remember, you can link your debit card to Drop so you can earn points that way instead. As far as I know, there’s no other way to earn rewards with your debit card.
Are there easier ways to earn points?
Despite the fact that I like how easy it is to earn points and rewards with Drop, I do believe there are easier ways to earn free stuff. My personally preferred method is to churn credit cards. This is where you would apply for a credit card with a huge signup bonus and then you cancel it once you’ve met the spending threshold.
The reason this is so lucrative is that the signup points are just worth so much. For example, consider the following card:
- American Express Platinum – 60,000 signup bonus points (enough for 2 roundtrip tickets within continental North America)
I personally believe that it’s better to signup for new cards to get those signup bonuses. Why worry about a $5 gift card when you could use specific credit cards and go for bonuses that are worth $500 instead? Obviously, this tactic only makes sense if you’re always paying your bills in full every month. If you carry a balance, the interest rates will cost you a small fortune.
Check out my article on the best travel credit cards in Canada to find out which cards have the best signup bonuses.
Final word
My Drop app review is positive. There’s no better and lazier way to earn rewards than with Drop. That being said, if you pay attention to the one-time offers, you can really earn points fast.
If you buy vgc for earning miles, do not link those cards to Drop. You will not earn points. Happened to me.
What is “vgc”?
Drop is awesome!
Supercharge your credit and debit cards on Drop!
Awesome app! Love earning extra points on top of my other loyalty cards.
Love this app! I’ve earned lots of extra points.
I’m trying to figure out which brands it is connected to? Is there a list somewhere? Cause I only shop at a couple places, so it might not be worth it for me.
Austin,
Unfortunately, I don’t know of any public list that shows all the brands they work with. It’s probably worth it for you either way since it doesn’t cost you anything.
I started using this app recently and loving it so far. The points get added quickly and it gets stacked with the card offers.
I tried using your link but it isn’t working.
Hi Patti,
Hmm weird, it should be working. Here’s a direct link.
https://www.earnwithdrop.com/?pid=adbloom_int&af_click_lookback=7d&clickid=102e4b02896c6fdc92905755d4197f&af_siteid=1142&phone=true
I was expecting to simply enter the card #’s of a few of my most used credit cards. (Similar to some of the airline dining programs where you link credit cards to the program). Instead, this app requests my log in credentials for specific banks or financial institutions (Amex, Chase, Bank of America, etc). While I was comfortable giving a credit card number (fraudulent activity is pretty easy to spot and stop quickly), I am not comfortable giving my log in credentials (username and password) to banks where I keep hundreds of thousands of dollars in assets. Heck, I wouldn’t be comfortable if I didn’t have many assets. Until they fix that, I’won’t be signing up. Am I alone in that sentiment?
The app store is peppered with negative experiences of this rewards scheme but they are well-covered up by far too ecstatic (fraudulent?) reviews. In addition, this app’s founder’s bio screams narcissistic con-artist. Please don’t be stupid enough to give your financial institution log in info. Even if it’s not an outright scam, that would be asking for trouble.
And the fact that they ecstatically proclaim to work with debit cards, well…just another red flag for me!
Hey Mark,
Those are all fair and valid points. Many people are hesitant to give up banking info, but Drop uses 256-bit bank-level encryption which is the same as major finance apps like Mint.
As for the founder, Fung is one of Canada’s top entrepreneurs and has worked with many top venture capitalists in Canada and the U.S.
If you give your login information to this app, and something does happen fraudulently whether the fault of the app or not, your account holder agreement is void as you are not permitted to share your login information with anyone, at least at the intsiturion I work for. I you ended up in a claim situation, being compensated could be difficult.
I won’t be downloading the app.
I agree with mark. If they save this information they’ll have complete access to my card. Even when I do online shopping, the websites don’t need my password
I’m with Mark. I was fine with inputting cc numbers but what is the purpose if my login and password for my entire account? I have more than just my cc and debit card there so that is potentially disastrous. And do t reply back with “they use the same encryption as banks” because how many times have banks, credit companies, etc been hacked and had all of our information stolen? The reward does not out weight the reward… and I don’t see why they need that information anyway.
I’m with Mark. I was fine with inputting cc numbers but what is the purpose of my login and password for my entire account? I have more than just my cc and debit card there so that is potentially disastrous. And don’t reply back with “they use the same encryption as banks” because how many times have banks, credit companies, etc been hacked and had all of our information stolen? The reward does not out weight the risk… and I don’t see why they need that information anyway.
Sarah,
Fair enough. There have been many security breaches in the past with various companies. I imagine they need the info as there’s no other way to link your transactions to the app.
Problem is that if there is ever a fraudulent charge on a card, and the bank finds out you’ve given account access to a third party company, they WILL NOT give your money back.
I’ve shopped at some of my preferred shops and more, but my points are not showing up. How long do they take to appear on the app?
This app is nice.
Every time I use my card, the app doesn’t add the points on. I’ve been to Starbucks and McDonald’s in the past week and none of the points I earned show up.
Hi Krista,
I would double check to see if your cards are connected. If they are, contact customer service.
I have contacted customer service and my cards are connected. Is there a number I can call for assistance ?
I would never give my bank’s username and password to an app. I have chosen not to get any rewards rather than losing money. This app should come up with different ideas like coupons or something..
I can not believe people are dumb enough to give a random app their user name and password to their bank. Talk about asking to lose your savings. Just use ibotta or ebates if you want free money.
I agree. It is nuts to give up personal private info. that your bank tells you never to do.
why this app can’t be like check out app?that gives your reward in cheque no need your bank credentials
Can we have the founders first and last name?? Can we look him up?? Can we go and see about his business. So far im only hearing a first name. And that picture that is being used, could be of anyone… I’m not working a million years, just to get my savings stolen in one day.. I need a whole bio. Can we have his bank information since its so secure?? Does he use his own app??
I know I’m spending money at the places that Drop lists but the points aren’t showing up anymore. My “pending” purchases are from a long time ago and no news one have shown up since.
Have your cards been unlinked by chance?
So I linked my cards to it now what? I have to shop online? Can I not shop there then take a picture of my receipt? How does it know when I shopped there with my card?
Recent Reviews for this app on the App Store have been extremely negative. Customer support is non-existent. Read users’ reviews before downloading the app and giving away your banking information. The author of this post should stop endorsing the app to avoid putting consumers at risk.
The app is so poorly supported that the blogger is doing customer support work for Drop through this comment section. Not linking my bank account to this mess.
Barry, thank you for writing this review up, I appreciate the details!
I have two main questions: the first is how does Drop compare with a new app called Dosh? Or the app Spent? I imagine that they are all fairly comparable, but I wondered if there is any one in particular that is better than the others. I tried Spent, and my issue was this. Most places asked me to insert my card into the chip reader, as opposed to swiping it. Spent is unable to read most of my purchases because it needs me to swipe it. How does Drop work with this kind of thing?
My other question is about churning credit cards! I have never heard of this strategy, but it sounds awesome! My questions are just this. I looked over your post about it, and I see that it’s recommended for Canadian readers. Is it also an option in the states? And does it have any negative impact on your credit score?
I’m sorry to have so many questions, but you seem knowledgeable about this kind of thing, and I’m interested in finding out more details.
Thanks for your help!
Hi Jordan,
I’ve never heard of Dosh or Spent which leads me to believe they are mainly in the US. The nice thing about Drop is that you don’t get a physical card. It links directly to your bank accounts and credit cards. Note that some people believe you should think twice about giving up that info.
As for churning credit cards, since you’re in the US, you have SOOooooo many more options. You have more credit cards and the sign up bonuses are MUCH higher. It shouldn’t be too hard to Google the best cards, but one good resource is Reddit.
https://www.reddit.com/r/churning/
You will take a hit of 10 points to your FICO score every time you apply for a credit card, but it’ll go back up after you make payments on time for a few months
Thanks so much for the help!
That’s especially cool about the credit cards, I’ll need to bookmark your page there.
Once signed up, this App lets you earn gift cards with little to no effort. Just make sure to sign up at the Stores you like best, you won’t be able to change them.
This review, like this app, didn’t bother to tell me how this app works or how to work this app. This isn’t some kind of user error thing; this app is about as intuitive as brain surgery. There’s no tutorial and there’s absolutely no hand holding for anyone who wants to download and use this app. Good luck figuring it out.
I changed my number and I want to redeem a gift card, I can’t now because it says that they will send me a verification code but I won’t get it because I have a different number? What can I do?
Do your regular purchasing and get points.
I do trust all of the concepts you have presented for your post.
They are really convincing and can certainly work.
Nonetheless, the posts are too short for newbies.
Could you please extend them a little from next time?
Thanks for the post.
It is an awesome app to use. It does take a little time for points to post, but usually within a week.
Por que cuando le doy a crearme el Drop se me queda en blanco? y no hace mas nada de hay
Why when I give myself to create the Drop me blank? and does nothing else hay
Hi Hilaria,
The referral link no longer works, you can just download Drop from the Apple or Play store
happy saving! 🙂
Safe app and awesome way to have some extra dollars.
My wife refered this app to me. Because she could not track the orders from this app. And she tried to ask you for help. But you did not resolve the problem, but just said you could see the money if you follow the right steps. She did exactly every step you said, but still couldn’t tracked the order. So she had to refer me and let me make the purchase.
But DROP said some potentially suspicious referral activity that has raised a flag to my account. So my account only can earn points, but could not redeem them. Every time I leave messages to drop, It would take weeks to get reply. And the reply was to let me wait. wait and wait.
I used this app for the whole black friday. Can I get my deserved money?
SHIWEI,
I don’t work for Drop, so I can’t comment on their practices. I have no idea why your account got flagged nor do I know why it takes them so long to reply.
Awesome app, works fine haven’t had any trouble.
Do NOT use the app DROP. you will just lose time. I changed my phone and phone number and I cannot get my rewards now. this is what they told me by email: Your account has been reviewed and our team has determined the activity on your account has violated our terms of service. Your email(s), credit cards and user information has been flagged in our system.
of course the help center didn’t help at all, they didn’t answer, It’s been one month now and still nothing.
WHAT? I just changed my phone….
don’t trust them, I lost only time to get 25000 points and now I cannot use them.
DO NOT USE DROP
I think in general there are too many companies who use people’s private and personal data in order to generate a profit from. Recently, one of those companies I believe people, especially millennials, should pay close attention to is DROP. Their a Canadian “rewards” company that pulls users banks transactions from their chequing, savings, credit card into their mobile app so DROP can analyze EVERYTHING they buy. Users are under the impression they’re collecting rewards for their everyday purchases, but what they are really doing is allowing DROP to solicit advertising from outside companies who want users to bait and switch them over to them e.g Tim Horton’s to Starbucks, Burger King to McDonalds. I believe users data, especially their private spending habits need to stay private and not used by big corporations for bait and switch campaigns. Users beware!